Live Caitanya Caritamrta · CC Antya 13.92
Pure Devotion Is More Than Reputation
“Rāmadāsa Viśvāsa was very learned in all the revealed scriptures. He was a teacher of the famous book Kāvya-prakāśa and was known as an advanced devotee and worshiper of Raghunātha [Lord Rāmacandra].”
What the purport teaches
- Rāmadāsa Viśvāsa was learned in all the revealed scriptures and taught Kāvya-prakāśa. He was known as an advanced devotee and worshiper of Lord Rāmacandra.
- Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura explains that anyone who desires to merge into the Lord’s existence cannot be a pure Vaiṣṇava. Although Rāmadāsa was a great devotee of Lord Rāmacandra, the purport describes him as almost a Vaiṣṇava.
- In those days, people could not distinguish a pure Vaiṣṇava from a pseudo Vaiṣṇava. Rāmadāsa was therefore known as a Vaiṣṇava because he worshiped Lord Rāmacandra.
Try this today
Take a quiet moment today to examine your devotional aim: pure devotion rather than merging into the Lord’s existence.
Ask yourself
Am I more concerned with being known as a devotee or with cultivating pure devotion?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport; the practice and question are plain words for trying the verse today.